The Demonic Word for Meow
by Her Winter Requiem
Summary: NWN2, OC. Neeshka finds a kitten, which proves to be more than a handful - for everyone. My first fanfic.
1. Can I Keep It?

**Author's Notes:** _Why is it so hard to find a good name for a character?__  
Anyhow, none of these characters are mine except perhaps Hariele, and the kitten. But you knew that.__  
Also, the first chapter will probably be the worst. Further chapters will hopefully be better written.  
Comments and critique very much appreciated._

--

Cradling the tiny vial in her hands, Neeshka bit her lip as she approached the pile of broken crates. _I need to do this carefully,_ she thought, glancing down at the alchemist's fire. _One mistake, and I could be the one going up in flames._

Exhaling sharply, she took a few steps away from the wood, bringing her arm back into position.

She was just about to throw the flask when, suddenly, she stopped, eyes wide.

Something was pulling at her tail.

Twisting around to see what it was, she figured it might be an incredibly short halfling, or a rat, or...

...a kitten?

It was a tiny thing, with luminous eyes and unkempt fur. Smaller than a breadbox, at least. The kitten was playing a game with Neeshka's tail, jumping in the air and batting at it with its little paws. It looked up at her, then mewed, almost apologetically.

Well, it was cute, that was true, but it wasn't what Neeshka needed. "Shoo!" she whispered. "Go! Shoo!"

The kitten blinked at her with sad eyes, then padded away, looking dejected.

With that out of the way, Neeshka pitched the vial of alchemist's fire at the pile of wood, grinning as it went up in flames. As the fire spread, she ran for it, shouting, "Help! Somebody help! Fire!"

Her task complete, she rushed back to the party and an impatient Hariele.

"That took a while," Hariele observed, arching an eyebrow. "Does it really take so long to toss a vial at a pile of crates?"

"Hey," Neeshka retorted, "it didn't take _that_ long. Besides, I had a distraction to take care of."

"Can we get on with it?" Khelgar complained. "The City Watch could come back at any moment, you know."

Elanee nodded, and Hariele began casting a Magic Missle spell.

As the turncoat members of the City Watch ran off to help with the fire, the thugs were dealt with in a matter of minutes, and the four made their way through the Back Alley with minimal problems.

Her pack slightly heavier than it had been, Neeshka aided in pushing the wagon of contraband back to the Merchant Quarter, silently complaining all the way.

What she didn't know was that they were being followed.

-x-

"I don't _care_ about the warehouse right now," Hariele muttered, rapping her fingers on the table. "I am tired, and sore, and out of spells, and _I'll do it later._"

"That may not be a good idea, lass," said Khelgar. "But as long as we're here..." He grinned at his foam-topped tankard, leaning back and taking another swig.

Neeshka was polishing her twin daggers, watching as they gleamed in the light. She could swear she saw Duncan's reflection in one of them, though maybe it was just a bit of dirt--

"Mew."

_Huh?_

She glanced down at the floor, and there it was.

The kitten.

It seemed much happier now, though it was still slightly damp and dirty - not that it looked much different from the rest of the Flagon, she thought.

"Hey, little guy," murmured Neeshka. "What are you doing here?"

The kitten mewed in response, and licked Neeshka's tail that was hanging over the side of the chair.

"Did you follow me all the way here?" she asked, setting her blades on the table and plucking the kitten off the floor.

At this, Elanee suddenly became aware of the extra presence in the room, and turned around in her seat. "Neeshka? Is that..."

"A kitten," Neeshka nodded. "Hey, Hariele, look at him."

"Kitten. Great." Hariele sighed, paying hardly any attention to the scrap of fur Neeshka was holding.

"Neeshka, that kitten is female," Elanee indicated.

"Huh?" She lifted the kitten a little higher as it mewed in protest. "Oh, I see. So you're a girl!"

Qara looked up from her table-cleaning, her expression softening. "Ohhh, a kitten," she marveled. "Is it yours?"

Everyone took this moment to glance at Qara strangely, and she glared at them. "What?" she snapped defensively. "I like kittens. Is there some kind of problem with that?"

The kitten mewed pitifully in Neeshka's hands, locking its big yellow eyes on her.

"Hariele," Neeshka whined, "can I keep her? Please?"

Glassy-eyed and irritated, Hariele muttered something that sounded like a reluctant approval.

Neeshka broke into a wide smile, and she could swear that the kitten smiled back. "Now we just have to name you, huh?"


	2. The Naming Process

**Author's Notes:** _Wow, this fic is doing a lot better than I expected! I'd like to take this moment to say "Thank you!" to all my reviewers.__  
I still don't own anything except Hariele and the kitten.  
But I would like to own Sand. *brick'd*_

--

Neeshka hadn't known it would be so hard to think of a name. Combinations of vowels and consonants were swimming around in her head, and none of them seemed to fit together, nor did they suit Neeshka's new friend. She had to wonder if it was this hard to think of the name "Neeshka."

But the name "Neeshka" _meant_ something, didn't it? Yes, it meant something in the Lower Planes - she wasn't sure what, but did that matter?

_What's the demonic word for "cat?"_ she asked herself, glancing over to the spot where the kitten slept. _Maybe I should ask Elanee how to speak animal._

She shifted under the sheets, closing her eyes. _I'll ask the rest of the group tomorrow..._

-x-

Early the next morning, Neeshka woke to find the kitten still asleep in the corner. Quickly and quietly, she dressed and headed out the door to the common room, careful not to disturb its rest.

Of course, Elanee was awake and alert. Neeshka always figured that she rose with the sun, though she could never be sure. She guessed it was a _tree-worshipper_ thing, and didn't ask about it. Khelgar was also sitting nonchalantly at a table, though as always, Neeshka ignored him.

Unsurprisingly, neither Hariele nor Qara were up yet. It was incredibly obvious that unlike Elanee, the two of them were not morning people.

The silence in the common room was a strange thing indeed. Neeshka didn't usually wake this early. It was oddly chilling, though maybe it was because Neeshka usually attributed silence to stealth. However, it was probably because of the fact that with their party, nothing was _ever_ quiet. Hariele was always complaining, or Elanee was sensing something, or Khelgar was arguing with Neeshka over another moral/ethical/whathaveyou clash.

Even though it put her slightly on edge, a part of her was afraid to break the silence.

"Neeshka?"

She jumped a little, startled. Composing herself once again, Neeshka turned to Elanee. "Yeah?"

"You wanted to say something?" The druid was arching an eyebrow in the sort of way only elves could. It seemed to give her an air of otherworldly curiosity. Neeshka had always wondered how they did it.

"Well... yeah, I did." She paused. It was awkward trying to make casual conversation with someone you weren't on particularly good terms with. Neeshka and Elanee had never quite seen eye-to-eye. "I was wondering about a name. For the kitten, you know?"

"Ah," Elanee said, smiling that borderline arrogant smile that, again, only elves could pull off. It irritated Neeshka so much when she did that. "A name for a kitten, hm?"

"Yes," Neeshka groaned, rolling her eyes.

"I think you should name it Scrappy," said Qara, looking disheveled as always as she strode into the room. "She looks like a Scrappy."

"She does not," muttered Neeshka, feeling somewhat indignant. _Scrappy? What kind of a name is Scrappy?_

"Huh. Scrappy Ironfist," mused Khelgar. "Hum."

Neeshka was about to protest when Elanee jumped in. "Khelgar, I don't think the kitten is a dwar-"

"Don't mind me," he mumbled. "I'm not gettin' involved with namin' kittens."

Neeshka's eyes were drawn to Naloch the badger, sitting at Elanee's feet. "Elanee, how did you name your badger?"

"Naloch?" Elanee stared up at the ceiling, trying to recall a certain time. "Ah... when he came to me, he was simply Naloch. There is no other explanation for it; he was Naloch."

"That's it? He just _was?_"

"He just was."

Drumming her fingers on the table, Neeshka sighed. "Well... this isn't going anywhere, is it?" She turned to Hariele, who was entering the room rather sluggishly. "Hariele, what do I name the kitten?"

"The kitten?" Hariele blinked a few times before she could finally remember. "Ohhh. The kitten." She shrugged, taking a seat at the far side of the room. "I don't know, maybe Safiya?"

There was a beat of silence.

And then, everyone burst out laughing.

When at last the laughter subsided, Neeshka wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes and all of a sudden felt confused. "Safiya isn't a funny name. Why were we all laughing?"

Hariele shrugged. "I don't know. I've never heard it before."

"Well, anyway, I don't think the kitten looks like a Safiya," Neeshka decided."

She looks like a Scrappy," Qara declared.

"Noo," Neeshka grumbled.

"Why don't we ask the kitten herself?" Elanee suggested. "She is awake now."

Everyone turned their heads to see the little calico kitten make its way towards Neeshka. "Mew?"

Neeshka picked it up, smiling. She turned the kitten to Elanee, whispering, "We're trying to find a name for you. Go ahead and tell the tree-worshipper some ideas, okay?"

Elanee sighed at the familiar derogatory nickname, but went ahead and plunged into telepathic communication with the kitten.

A brief silence passed.

"Judging by the brief exchange of thoughts we just had," Elanee said, looking back at Neeshka, "you could name her something to do with the moon. She seems to be quite fond of it."

"...Selene," Hariele suggested, appearing slightly hesitant, as if she wasn't sure she was remembering right. "I was going through my friend Amie's books one day as a child, and Selene, I think, means moon."

"Do you like that name?" Neeshka asked, watching for any sign of a "yes" or "no" from the kitten.

"Mew."

"Yes," Elanee confirmed.

Neeshka grinned.

"I still think we should have named her Scrappy," Qara muttered.

"Meww," said the newly named Selene, as if to say, "Quiet, you."


	3. Kitten and a Tavern

**Author's Notes:** _Still own nothing except for Hariele and Selene.  
I've never written our dear ranger before - how'd I do?_

--

Hariele took this moment to interrupt the celebration. "Okay, kitten has a name, we're all happy, et cetera. Could we turn our attention to something else now?"

"Do you not like kittens or something?" Qara's arms were folded and she had one eyebrow raised, signaling a potential minor explosion. Apparently, kittens were something Qara _really_ loved.

"It's not that," she sighed, exasperated. "We just need to focus on the warehouse now, especially since we didn't take care of it yesterday."

Khelgar nodded. "Aye. Those smugglers might be done and gone by now."

Hariele cleared her throat, hands settling on her hips. "All right. Now, I'm taking Khelgar, Elanee, and Neeshka, like alwa--"

"Wait!" Neeshka protested. "Why do you have to take me? I can't bring Selene there!"

"I need to have you there," Hariele groaned, "because there's bound to be traps everywhere, and you're the only one who can take care of them. We've been over this before."

"Well, what difference does it make if I stay out just this once?"

Hariele folded her arms, sighing again. "Because I might die if I get hit with an arrow trap or something, and if I die, the world will be destroyed."

"Hold on," Qara interjected. "What about the world being destroyed?"

"I don't know," muttered Hariele. "I think I was supposed to say that later."

"Well, anyway, Hariele," Neeshka said, "I can't leave Selene here by herself."

Hariele smiled a little and pointed across the table to Qara. "She won't be by herself."

"Me?" This time, both Qara's eyebrows shot up. "You want _me_ to take care of Scra-- Selene?"

"Hey!" snapped Neeshka. "I didn't agree to this!"

"Don't worry," Qara said nonchalantly. "I might not like _you,_ but I wouldn't hurt your cat."

Reluctantly, Neeshka walked over and unloaded Selene into Qara's waiting arms. "Fine," she muttered grudgingly. "But you better not torch her."

"So it's settled," Hariele said, turning on her heel and heading for the door. "Come on, Khelgar, Neeshka, Elanee."

-x-

Selene stared up at the unfamiliar face with wide eyes. She looked kind of like Neeshka. Kind of. They had sort of the same color hair, but that was it. They were definitely _not_ the same person. Even if this new girl _had_ looked exactly like Neeshka, they smelled different. Neeshka smelled like sulfur, leather, and ashes. This girl had the strong scent of arcane magic and fire. Kind of like a burning wizard, but far more forceful and in-your-face. Squirming, Selene mewled desperately, wondering where Neeshka had gone.

"Oh, you wanna go down?" The new girl's voice had a little edge of volatile hostility. Selene had heard it before, a few minutes ago, and concluded that the hostility must be permanently stuck in there. Shortly after the conclusion, she was surprised to find herself standing on a wooden floor, and not lying in the girl's arms. Edging away, mewing fearfully, Selene ducked under a table and waited for the girl to go away.

To her dismay, the girl crouched down next to the table and peered at her. "Aww, are you scared? Don't worry, Neeshka will be back soon."

Selene's ears twitched at these words. So, Neeshka was gone, but would be returning shortly? Was that it? Padding a little further away, she sat down and wondered what to do while Neeshka was doing whatever Neeshka was doing.

Come to think of it, some of the other people were gone, too. The nice elven lady who had talked to her wasn't there, and neither was the exasperated sorceress or the odd dwarf. Selene wondered whether they'd all gone to the same place. She walked a little further before she came out from under the table - but the girl was gone, and that was good.

The next thing Selene saw was a boot. It was a very nice boot, black and brown leather. The person who owned the boot smelled like wolves and, oddly enough, a filthy black substance she'd slipped in the other day. Apparently, a druid had made it appear there, though she didn't know how. Looking up, Selene saw the rugged face of a mean-looking man. Innocently, she nudged his foot.

"What do you want?" The tone of his voice was kind of like the girl's, except that the hostility was less explosive, and it was slathered in really gritty honey. Incidentally, the color of his eyes could have been described as really gritty honey as well. She saw them clearly as he glared down at her. "Get lost, furball."

Selene sat there and swished her little tail back and forth, looking up at him soulfully. Her goal there was to look cute. If she could win him over with her kitten face, it would be a great achievement.

He scoffed, smirking a little. "Is it sad that you're actually easier on the eyes than half the women I meet?" He offered her a hand to climb up on. "Come on. Let's get a good look at you."

She scurried onto his open palm, and the stench of dogs and grease grew ever stronger. This man did _not_ smell good. She was lifted onto the table he sat at, and she blinked at him. "Mew?" she asked.

"Who am _I?_" The man chuckled, a sort of subtly mocking chuckle. "Well, if you're dying to know, the name's Bishop."

"Mew," Selene stated.

Bishop's eyebrows knotted together as he pretended to be greatly offended. "What do you mean, _pride before the fall?_ With a brain like yours, I'm surprised you know what pride is."

Selene was about to say something regarding _his_ brain before she was scooped up by someone very angry.

"Who do you think you are?" It was the girl from earlier. "Trying to kidnap Selene, or something?"

Bishop arched an eyebrow sardonically. "Selene? That's the little scrap's name?"

The girl huffed and walked away, carrying Selene with her.

"Hey, Selene," Bishop shouted, "if you ever get lonely, I know some young tomcats who'd just _love_ to chat with you."

Selene hissed at him.


	4. Kitten Mischief

**Author's Question:** _Is Duncan a half-elf or an elf? I can't for the life of me remember..._

For the past few hours, Selene had been curled up under a table, trying to hide from the scary red-haired girl and worrying about Neeshka. She'd chatted with Bishop some, but she didn't like the way he talked to her. He was rude and brash one moment, and the next, he was flattering her in a way that was more than creepy.

Every time the door to the inn so much as creaked, Selene jumped to her feet, watching the entrance in anticipation. Whenever it turned out to be just another patron, she lowered her head dejectedly and went back to the table.

Of course, the red-haired girl was absolutely livid. She was equal parts fear and rage, apparently ready to burn down the entire establishment if need be. The tone of her voice was enough to convince Selene to go hide for a while. Her exclamations ranged from "I'll _flame-broil_ whoever got their gods-damned hands on the kitten!" to "Why, why, _why_ did I offer to watch the cat?!" The greasy elven man had shouted at her a few times, but she just yelled louder.

When there were only a few customers left and the red-haired girl was muttering to herself bitterly, Selene was wide-eyed and panicky, eyes fixed on the door. _Come back, Neeshka..._

She padded down the corridor to the inn rooms, wondering frantically if she'd missed Neeshka coming through the door. When she came to a door that was wide open, she stepped inside, and immediately detected something wrong.

It wasn't Neeshka's room.

The room smelled of fire and steam. Gazing around, Selene could see that the bed was unmade and that a thin layer of dust coated everything. There were drawers lying open, wrinkled red robes piled everywhere, and several burnt objects that had once been recognizable. It was the room of the scary red-haired girl.

She was just about to turn and run when her kitten instinct flared. _Be bad, Selene. Cause trouble._ There were just too many opportunities to pass up. _No one will blame you. You're adorable._

Cautiously, she approached one of the articles of clothing. It reeked of sweat and arcane magic gone wrong. Extending her tiny claws, she hesitantly tore a few small holes into one of the sleeves. Then a few more. And some on the collar. A bit on the other sleeve. Then she moved on to another tunic.

_Doesn't it feel _good_ to be_ bad,_ Selene?_

She leaped up onto the little desk, where there were a few words scratched onto some parchment. Selene tipped over the inkwell and sent black ink spilling everywhere. Then she got her paws into it, and ran around the nice red carpet. The red-haired girl would never knew what hit her.

Not unless she entered the room right then... which was precisely what happened.

Selene froze right there, all her kitten instinct draining away. The red-haired girl stared at her in shock.

Then, Selene took off like a bullet from a sling, heading for the common room with a rush of adrenaline.

-x-

When Neeshka pushed open the door to the Flagon, she had completely expected Selene to come rushing forward. What she hadn't expected was for Qara to be following in a rage, led by a tiny trail of black pawprints.

Quick as a wink, Neeshka scooped up the kitten, staining her gloves with ink. She could practically see the flames in Qara's hands... oh, wait, they were actually there. Leaping away, Neeshka crashed into Elanee, who in turn knocked into Hariele, who toppled onto Khelgar. Selene sprang away from the scene, landing in Qara's eager - and fiery - arms.

From somewhere in the people-pile, Hariele screamed. Neeshka let out a strangled cry, both from pain and fear of what Qara was going to do to Selene. _I knew I shouldn't have trusted her!_

Duncan sprinted over with an almost unnatural quickness, reminding everyone of his elven blood. "Ladies, ladies - and Khelgar! What in the Hells is going on here?"

Everyone started shouting at once, each sentence punctuated by a hurried meow from Selene. Throwing up his hands, Duncan silenced them all. "One at a time, lasses! And Khelgar!"

Khelgar yelped suddenly. "Watch your hands, lass!"

Hariele screamed again. "By the _gods, _Khelgar!"

"Selene tracked ink everywhere," whined Qara, pointing frantically to the kitten with flaming fingers.

"You probably did something," Neeshka said, lashing her tail defiantly.

"Ouch!" Elanee exclaimed.

"Meow," Selene interjected.

"I didn't do anything," Qara spat.

"Mew!" Selene protested hotly.

"She says it was all your fault," Elanee groaned.

Neeshka glared at Qara. "See?"

Hariele growled. "I hate kittens."

Everyone gasped in horror.


	5. A Kitten Challenger

"All right, look," Hariele sighed, "when I said I hated kittens, I didn't mean _all_ kittens."

She leaned against the table, flicking a piece of hair away from her eyes. "I like kittens when they're well-behaved, and quiet, and don't cover Qara's room in inky pawprints. And... you aren't _usually_ that way, so..."

Folding her arms, she bit her lip, trying to find the right words to say. "So, I'm sorry... it was uncalled for, and I should have been more clear. Will you forgive me?"

"Meow," said Selene.

"That means yes," Elanee translated, not looking up from the small contraption she was fiddling with.

Hariele turned to leave, nodding towards the small kitten. "I'm glad we're in agreement, then."

She had walked halfway down the corridor to her inn room when she came to a sudden stop.

"I just apologized to a kitten," she muttered incredulously, dropping her head into her hands. "_Gods._"

-x-

Selene looked towards the wood elf, Elanee, sitting at a nearby table. She was nice, Selene thought, and it was very kind of her to translate the conversations she had with the two-legged folk - Selene didn't understand much of their language. Neeshka was not fond of her, and she couldn't see why.

"Mew?" she asked, jabbing a paw towards the little device in the elf's hands.

Elanee was busy wrapping a piece of thin string around a long stick. "This is something for you," she said, securing the string with a complex knot. "Tell me, which do you like more?" She held out two little objects: a wad of shiny, soft material, and a very thin piece of wood that was probably supposed to resemble a fish.

She immediately recognized the shiny cloth as being from one of the red-haired girl's outfits. Her scent was impossible to mistake. Selene's eyes grew large, and she backed away from it, flicking her tail towards the wood instead.

Nodding, Elanee began tying the vaguely fish-shaped wood to the other end of the string.

"Hey, what's that?" Selene turned around to face Neeshka, and her eyes lit up, slowly swishing her tail back and forth. Neeshka waved, affectionately rubbing behind Selene's ears.

"Something for Selene," Elanee said, handing the strange wood-and-string thing to Neeshka. "By the way, she's quite happy to see you."

"What is it?" Neeshka raised an eyebrow, turning the stick over and over in her hands.

"A toy," she said, taking the stick back from Neeshka. "You use it like this." She released the string, and the fish-thing fell until it was close to the ground, where Selene could easily reach it. For a moment, Selene was compelled to touch it - so she did...

...or not. The moment she got close enough, Elanee swung the stick away, and the fish went with it. Selene's eyes widened, and she chased after it, trying frantically to get a hold on the fish. It was a good workout, and was somehow _fun._ It was a game - a game in which she didn't get what she wanted, but a game nonetheless.

"Now you try," Elanee said, offering the stick to Neeshka.

"Okay..." Neeshka dropped the fish to the ground, swinging it around cautiously. Selene was just about to try and grab it when something stole her attention.

Bishop strolled into the inn, holding a scrap of day-old fish. Eagerly following him was a brown tabby kitten, licking their lips hungrily.

The kitten was covered head to toe in dirt, and had accumulated a sizable collection of battle scars for someone so young. Most importantly, it was a _male_ kitten, something Selene hadn't seen since her brothers had gone away.

He looked rather smug as Bishop tossed him his meal, tearing it into bite-sized pieces. Selene noticed the tiny wounds on the ranger's hands, wondering what was going on.

All questions disappeared as the two kittens locked eyes with each other.

_:You think you're all that and a barrel of potatoes, don't you?: _Selene asked, narrowing her eyes.

The tomcat tossed his head, purring. _:I don't know what you're talking about, but I do know what I like when I see it. And I like what I see.:_

_:You're just like Bishop,:_ Selene snarled.

In the midst of all this, she faintly heard Neeshka asking, "Is she even old enough for this kind of thing?"

_:And you're just like a pretty little housecat.:_ He walked towards her, licking one brown paw. _:You may live in this human gathering-place, but it makes no difference.:_

Extending her claws, Selene growled at him. _:I don't know why you're here, but you ought to leave. Now, or you'll be sorry.:_

_:You think you can fight me?:_ He made a kind of rumbling laugh, running his pink tongue over his scars. _:You wouldn't last five seconds, housecat.:_

"They're considering _fighting,_" Elanee stated, looking towards Neeshka and Bishop. "Not mating."

_:Ha!:_ Selene flicked her tail at him. _:You're all talk, I bet.:_

_:So are you.:_ His amber eyes seemed to glow with fierce determination. _:And unlike you, I'm no housecat, housecat.:_

_:Is that your name for me? Housecat?:_

"Well, don't let them fight," Neeshka said, worry seeping into her voice.

"Why not?" asked Bishop.

He cocked his head slightly. _:Why do you care? Do you have a pretty housecat name?:_

_:It's Selene. For your information, it means 'moon,' and I'm very proud of it.:_

_:I don't see why you should be,: _he meowed sardonically. _:You want to fight, housecat? Then meet me in the place called the Back Alley at sunrise tomorrow.:_

"They're making arrangements," Elanee said. "They plan to fight tomorrow."

"Well, stop them," Neeshka demanded.

Bishop snorted. "Or don't."

Selene retracted her claws, glaring at her future opponent. _:I'll be there. Bring your friends and they can bet on us.:_

He chortled slightly, slowly walking out the inn's door. Selene sat there, fur bristling, considering the consequences of what she had just agreed to. She didn't know how to fight well - and the kitten had been right, she _was_ a housecat.

She made no sound as Neeshka scooped her up, hoping tomorrow would never come.


End file.
